If we’ve learned anything from the explosion of social media, it’s that people want to connect with other people. They want to be a part of something. They want to contribute. They want to build relationships with like-minded colleagues.

It calls for testing old leadership styles. Leaders still need the same skills they had, but they need to apply those skills in a different way.

At the risk of over-generalizing, men tend to charge in and demand the most (e.g. the cheapest price from their vendors, the most output from their subordinates).

If you’re doing a one-time deal, that may be fine. But if you seek a long-term relationship, men might learn something from women.

Women tend to collaborate. To seek a consensus. They want win – win.

This may be less fruitful in the short run, but in the long term, it often pays bigg dividends.

People don’t do business with people who have burned them. Fool me once, shame on you … fool me twice, shame on me.

So creating an environment around collaboration, where everyone feels like they’re part of the team is productive. Building an organization that allows everyone to win is good business.

And “everyone” means employees, customers, vendors, and more!

It’s a very inclusive organization seeking to create the best opportunities for all the parties involved.

As more and more women obtain leadership positions, this style will become more prevalent. It behooves all of us, man or woman, to get on board the collaboration train!